Prep Softball: Summer league useful for youthful Freeport team

FREEPORT — With only one junior and one senior in the starting lineup on most nights, Freeport fielded a rather young varsity softball team this past season. So if any team can benefit from playing summer league, it’s the young Pretzels.

FREEPORT — With only one junior and one senior in the starting lineup on most nights, Freeport fielded a rather young varsity softball team this past season.

So if any team can benefit from playing summer league, it’s the young Pretzels.

“Trying to get these girls an opportunity to play together is kind of important,” Freeport junior varsity coach Chad Hersey said. “We just want to get a lot of playing time for everybody.”

Like in past years, Freeport is split up into two squads for its Friday night summer league.

Soon-to-be juniors and seniors along with varsity-bound freshmen and sophomores make up Freeport Orange, which is coached by Hersey. The younger players, such as incoming freshmen, play for Freeport Black with an opportunity to make a strong first impression on the school’s coaching staff.

“It gets those girls that are incoming freshmen a real opportunity to get into the program,” Hersey said. “We get to know them a little bit better. We get to see what they’ve got going into the year. They get to know us, and it’s more games for everybody.”

There’s no shortage of players on either team. That’s good considering the amount of players that often have to miss the Friday night games whether because of travel ball obligations or other reasons.

“We have a lot of girls on both teams this year just because we’re going to be missing girls here and there,” Freeport varsity coach Jeff Sands said, “but it’s giving everybody a chance to play and that’s why we still want to get them out there.”

The league also gives coaches a chance to see what other positions at which players can become useful. In Freeport Orange’s first game Friday against Pearl City, sophomores-to-be Jordan Flack and Kelsy Wichman spent time at pitcher and catcher respectively. Flack was the varsity team’s starting shortstop this past season, while Wichman, who was on the fresh-soph team and saw limited action on varsity last year, played outfield exclusively.

“I think the more things you can do, the more valuable you are to your program as a whole,” Hersey said. “Jordan’s a good shortstop, and we love to have her at shortstop, but if she can pitch too, that’s awesome. Same thing with Kelsy, she didn’t catch one inning of a game all season long, but I told her if she can catch she makes herself more valuable to the program.”